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His body freezes, resembling roadkill with his elbows bent and his hands up in the air. Slowly, he opens his eyes and lifts his head. I should’ve taken a picture of the weaselly expression stuck on his lame face.
“Babe, I thought you had a gig?” he squeaks.
“I forgot my period bag.” I rush into the room. “When were you going to tell me, you piece of shit? After our wedding? Our honeymoon? I thought you didn’t evenlikeher!”
“Watch your mouth.” Carole gets off the bed.
“I’m not talking to you,” I snap at her before I turn back to Tim. “How long?”
“It’s been going on for a while,” Carole ignores me as she purrs, pushing her chest out. “I was going to make him tell you.”
I suck my teeth. “As if you were doing me a favor?”
“I wanted you to know.” Bitch knew what she was doing. She wanted to get caught. She probably insisted they do it inmybed.
“Get out.” I shake my head angrily. “And take him with you when you go.”
Finally, Tim lurches off the bed, covering his groin with a pillow. “Paige, can we talk?”
“Fuck, no.” I dart into the small bathroom off the bedroom and snatch my bag from where I left it. “You better not be here when I get back.”
He steps into the bathroom, crowding me, but I refuse to go anywhere near his naked body. “Paige, babe, please!”
“No, fuck you, Tim!” I yank the engagement finger off my finger as if it’s burning my skin. I aim it at his forehead and hit my target perfectly. “Don’t ‘babe, please’ me! You want her? Then go with her. She can help you pack.”
He has the nerve to chuckle, but his eyes are wide with disbelief. “You don’t mean that. You need me, Paige. Who else is going to help you with your father? Admit it, that’s why you stuck with me.”
“Wow, fuck you, Tim. I’m not with you to use you. I was with you because …” I stop, realizing that Idon’tlove him. I can’t even say the word right now. I jab my finger toward his pathetic face. “Don’t be here when I get back. Or your shit is going out the window.”
Chapter 2
Paige
Could my day get any worse?
I try not to think about it again as I drive to the Twin Rivers Country Club. I’ve driven past it countless times, but this is the first time I’m going in. My old neighborhood buffers the wealthy suburb of Twin Rivers from the NY Thruway. My dad would drive past here, and me and my little sister, Emma, would stare out the car window. Every time, I wished we were spending the day inside the huge brick mansion instead of running errands with Dad in grimy lower Manhattan.
Today, I drive toward the employee entrance by the service road. Through the line of poplars, stretch limos pull into the circular driveway and idle by a three-tiered fountain. Smiling, well-dressed people mill about, greeting one another with air kisses and handshakes.
Too late, I wonder if I should’ve worn a dress. Which one? My stretched-out floral knit or my denim boho maxi with the frayed hem? I’m here to work, not party.
“It’s been going on for a while. I was going to make him tell him you.”Carole’s smug voice drifts to my ear again, and I feel a sting in my nose as tears threaten to overwhelm me.
I snap back to the present, breathing heavily in my parked car. I’ll have time to cry later.
I slip a tampon into one of the pockets, just in case. Better make it two.Y’know what? Fuck it.I grab a handful, shove them in, and swallow another Advil for good measure before I get out of my beat-up Toyota. The door creaks and groans as I slam it shut, slip my car keys into a different pocket, and take my camera out of its bag, draping the strap around my neck.
I march toward the employee door, looking straight ahead.
As soon as I enter the building, I tilt my head all the way back and gaze at the ceiling. A trompe-l’oeil sun beams down on me as clouds drift by. I lift my camera and take a picture. If this is the employee entrance, what does the main hall look like?
I attract some curious looks from a few guests as I enter the carpeted hallway by the restrooms. Their reactions prompt me to hold my camera up like a badge. People look away while others continue to stare.
Suddenly, my heart stops, my feet stick to the floor, and I’m struck dumb by love. Well, lusty love.
The hottest guy I have ever seen appears out of nowhere, like he just stepped off the cover ofGQmagazine.Holy fuck me first. I’ve never seen someone so gorgeous before—dark, thick hair, perfect skin, broad shoulders, and smoldering eyes. The dimple in his chin is killing me.
He has to be hung, or it just wouldn’t be fair. He stares at me with a mixture of curiosity and something else that I can’t quite put my finger on.
